Press Release: Boris Island – Airport Expansion Anywhere is Bad News

Medway Green Party has welcomed the news that plans for a new airport hub in the Thames Estuary, favoured by London Mayor, Boris Johnson, have been rejected by the Davies Commission. However Medway Greens go further in criticising any airport expansion.

“This is great news and Medway Green Party will be celebrating this decision along with the other local parties. However, what sets the Green Party apart from the other parties is the understanding that any airport expansion is a bad thing.

“The outdated grey parties fail to grasp that airport expansion is a disaster in the long term because of the effects of aviation on worsening climate change. Aviation is one of the biggest threats to reducing carbon emissions we have, there being limited technological options for reducing carbon in aviation. The Green Party is therefore against airport expansion in any form”.

John Little, Medway Green Party member adds:

“It always was a crazy idea. I doubt it would have ever been economic to build. There was also the problem of unexploded bombs on the SS Richard Montgomery at Sheerness and it would have had a very negative effect on the birdlife at Grain.

“I would also challenge the argument that there is an ever growing demand for air travel. Manston was closed due to lack of demand.

“Proper investment in the railways and tickets at a price that people can actually afford could provide a realistic alternative for travel within the UK (ie an alternative to people flying to places like Manchester or Edinburgh)”.

In contrast, to the Green Party stance, Boris Johnson and the Davies Commission consider expansion of aviation to be essential “to create the jobs and growth this country needs to remain competitive”

Clive Gregory criticises this outlook.

“Such arguments are at least short-sighted and at worst designed to deliberately deceive.

“Yes, aviation is one of the fastest growing areas in the economy but this view reflects a dependency on delivering economic growth (or GDP) irrespective of the costs, including the misery of increasing levels of pollution and noise, and, of course, the even greater threat of climate change.

“That seems crazy enough, but many studies are now finding that higher levels of GDP in any particular country have little relationship to increased levels of happiness and wellbeing. Thus chasing economic growth at any cost is pointless as well as bad. An alternative Green economy would focus on providing what we actually need for fulfilling and secure lives, within the reality of there being only one planet.

“Instead of the current financial system which relies on “trickle down economics” to look after the poor – a false system as money has lost it’s value by the time it has ‘trickled down’ – in a reformed financial system there would be no need to pursue endless growth, something which only benefits the super rich and their sponsors such as Boris Johnson and his rich cronies, and has created the biggest wealth gap for generations”.